


Something New

by writingthings_02



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abused Harry, Asexual Character, Child Abuse, Depressed Harry, Gay Draco Malfoy, Harry Needs a Hug, Harry Potter & Ginny Weasley Friendship, Harry Potter Thinks Draco Malfoy is Up to Something, Harry Potter is So Done, Harry Potter is a Little Shit, Hogwarts, Hogwarts Fifth Year, Luna Lovegood & Harry Potter Friendship, Luna Lovegood is a Good Friend, M/M, Swearing, The Golden Trio
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:34:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27754675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writingthings_02/pseuds/writingthings_02
Summary: Harry returns to Hogwarts for his fifth year, and everything seems normal. Well, everything except Draco Malfoy. He doesn't pick fights anymore, and the boy even seems to be avoiding him. Harry can't figure out why, but he's determined to find out.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 68





	1. Back to Hogwarts

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all characters are owned by JK Rowling.
> 
> This book will include sensitive topics, such as child abuse, self harm, suicidal thoughts, homophobic slurs, sexual assault, and swearing. Not sure if swearing is a sensitive topic, but hey, now you know it's in here. Anyway, onto the story...

Harry looked in the mirror one last time, casting a glamour charm before leaving the bathroom, shutting the door behind him on his way out. He walked down the stairs and checked to see if the cupboard had been unlocked yet. When it opened, he pulled his trunk out, grunted at the amount of effort it took.

"BOY! GET OVER HERE NOW!" The Gryffindor sighed, and walked into the living room, dragging his trunk along with him, Hedwig's cage resting atop it. Where the bird was was a mystery to the boy, he'd let her out last night and she hadn't yet returned. But she was smart, she'd find her way to Hogwarts eventually.

Harry's uncle was standing near the door with his arms crossed, tapping his large foot impatiently. "Well, get a move on now! You should be grateful we're taking you, you freak!"

"Yes sir," Harry said, walking outside and attempting to lift his items into the trunk of the car. It was difficult, especially with Harry as weak as he was. Dudley came up behind him, and Harry flinched, expecting a punch to the face or something of the sort.

"Need a hand?" his cousin asked, making Harry give him a strange look. Dudley had been acting weird ever since the dementor attack, and Harry wondered if a part of the boy's soul had been taken after all. Dudley acting _civil_ was definitely something Harry never expected to see.

Harry nodded, and together the two were able to get Harry's things into the trunk. "Thanks, Dudley." The boy nodded and hopped into the car, Harry following.

It was a long drive to King's Cross Station, for Harry at least. He spent the entire time looking out the window, looking at all the different cars and buildings as they passed. Finally, they made it just ten minutes before the Hogwarts Express was due to leave.

Vernon grabbed his trunk and cage, and threw them onto the ground, then pulled Harry out of the car, and they were gone as soon as they'd arrived. Sighing, Harry stood up, brushing his pants off, and didn't even bother getting something to carry his trunk. When he finally made it through the barrier to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, he only had minutes to get on the train. 

When Harry made it onto the train, he didn't bother with finding a compartment, knowing most would be full, and he didn't feel like talking to people right now. Of course, Professor McGonagall didn't like this very much when she found him standing in a hallway, looking out a window, so she helped him find a compartment that wasn't full. Luckily, the first one with room they found was the compartment containing Ron and Hermione, so McGonagall left Harry with them, and shut the compartment door.

"Harry, how was your summer?" Hermione asked, smiling. 

"Could have been better, you?"

"Oh, it was amazing! My parents took me to Rome, and..." She went into a long explanation of all the wonders of Rome, not that Harry was listening much, though she didn't seem to notice. When she had finally finished, she turned to Ron and asked about Ron's summer.

"We went to see Charlie in Romania for a few weeks, so that was nice. Fred and George apparated all over the house, making mum go crazy. She was ready to strangle them by the time summer was over. Bloody awesome, it was."

Harry nodded and looked out the window, something he seemed to have taken a liking to. He shifted in his seat, wincing when there was a sharp pain in his chest. Stupid fractured ribs, he thought as he gripped the seat as if it would help subside the pain.

"Harry, are you alright?" Hermione asked, noticing how tense he had become. Ron looked over at the question, and they both stared at Harry, expecting an answer.

"Fine, just stubbed my toe." Hermione hesitated, but dropped it, and turned to Ron.

"We have to leave for the prefect's compartment now, mate. See you later," Ron said, the two standing up.

"You guys are prefects?" Hermione nodded, and they both left, leaving him alone. 

After a few hours, Harry fell asleep, and stayed asleep until he was shaken awake by Hermione, who was already changed into her robes.

"We're arriving soon, I'll leave so you and Ron can get changed," she stated, before exiting once again. They got changed, finishing just as the train started to slow down. 

Walking out to the carriages, Harry stopped and stared at the creature that was between the shafts of each one.

"What are those things?" he asked, walking a little closer to them.

"What things?" Ron asked, looking over to where Harry was.

"Those horse things, pulling the carriages," Harry replied, motioning towards one.

"Harry, nothing's pulling the carriages," Hermione stated, looking over to him, concern written on her face.

"What, can't you see them?" Harry was getting frustrated now, this joke was getting old.

"See _what_ , mate?" If Ron wasn't alarmed before, he was now. Great, now everyone probably thought he was going mad.

"The horses, Ron. Stop playing tricks on me, they're right there!"

"I really don't see anything. Are you feeling alright, Harry?"

"I'm fine! Let's just get in," he replied, bewildered and angry. And there was the thought that he might be going insane, that was always comforting. They got into the carriage that was to take them to Hogwarts, along with Ginny and a girl with dirty-blonde hair.

"It's all right, you're not going mad or anything. I can see them too," the strange girl replied. Harry wouldn't say it out loud, but he wasn't very reassured. The girl didn't seem like she was all there, from what Harry could say. Though, he couldn't say much, as this was his first time speaking to her.

"Sorry, what's your name?" Harry asked.

"Luna Lovegood. I've been able to see the horses since first year, they've always pulled the carriages. Your just as sane as I am." Luna's voice was dreamy, and she smiled a lot. Harry didn't find many things to smile about these days.

"Right. Thanks, Luna." Harry shifted uncomfortably, the only thing on his mind the entire way back was the thought that he really might be going crazy. Probably, bad things did have a way of happening when he was around.


	2. Luna Lovegood

Harry could tell his fifth year was going to be a disaster the minute he stepped foot in Hogwarts. Nearly the entire school thought he was an attention-seeking liar, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher already seemed horrible, and Draco Malfoy hadn't spoken one word to him yet.

He laid in his bed, staring at the ceiling, wondering why the last one was bothering him as much as it was. No snarky remarks, no glares, not even a glance his way. It seemed the blond ferret was avoiding him, why, Harry hadn't a clue. It had only been a day, after all, maybe he was thinking too much into this.

Professor Umbridge was yet another problem to deal with this year. Only a day, and it already seemed like she was trying to change everything. And the pink, the horrendous pink and lace that she wore make Harry want to puke. She'd been at his trial over the summer, which meant the ministry was now interfering with Hogwarts.

There was the small matter of the entire school hating Dumbledore and him. People whispered about him as he passed in the halls, though they usually did that. It was different now, they all thought he was going mad, and lying about Voldemort's return. Just hours ago Seamus had confronted him about it, and accused him for not wanting to talk about traumatizing events. Who would though, why should it be any different for him? Maybe the ministry should stop acting like children, and believe Harry when he says that the Dark Lord was back.

Sighing, Harry closed his eyes, finally allowing himself some sleep. Of course, he woke a few hours later from the nightmares of that night in the graveyard. This wasn't unusual, however, so you'd think he'd grow used to watching the Hufflepuff die over and over again. He wasn't. He had grown used to a few hours of sleep a night though. At this point, sleep just seemed pointless.

The next morning, Harry was in a mood all through breakfast. He'd snapped at Hermione when she bugged him about eating more, ignored poor Neville who asked him if he'd completed all the work they were given over the summer, and left the table when Ron and Hermione started their usual bickering. Today was one of his bad days, that was fairly obvious.

The day got even worse when he ran into someone on his way out and fell to the ground, his glasses being knocked off his head in the process. He cursed under his breath, as he searched the dirty floor for the things he couldn't see without. Seriously, he was practically blind without those things.

"Watch where you're going, you...Potter?" Shit, it was Malfoy. Of course, it was just his luck.

"Yeah, it's me. Now either help me find my glasses or get lost."

"Someone's grumpy this morning," Malfoy muttered, though Harry heard, and glared at him.

"Just go away. I'm not in the mood to deal with this."

"No kidding," he replied, handing Harry his glasses. The Gryffindor put them back on and blinked repeatedly as his eyes adjusted. His eyesight really was horrible. He winced as the constant pain from his ribs worsened as he stood up.

"Right, well, sorry for running into you. I'm just going to go now, bye," the ferret said, jumbling over his words and talking so quickly Harry almost didn't follow what he was saying.

Harry's eyes narrowed on the blond as he all but ran away. That was odd. Malfoy had never apologized to him in all his years of knowing him. Shaking his head, Harry headed for his first class, History of Magic, twenty minutes before it started. No matter, he'd wait. And wait he did, and almost jumped when the silent halls were suddenly filled with loud voices and heavy footsteps. Figuring class was starting soon, Harry walked in and chose a seat in the back. He watched as everyone filed in, sitting in seats of their own, but there seemed to be a wide range of avoided seats that just happened to be surrounding him.

Sighing, Harry pulled out a fresh sheet of parchment and a quill just as Ron and Hermione walked in and sat down next to him. There was an awkward silence between the three of them before Professor Binns began speaking in his usual dull voice, and they began taking notes. Harry wasn't sure what was going on with him and his friends, there was no familiarity like there was last year, in Harry's opinion anyway. Hermione tried, a little too hard maybe, but things were just different. Harry was different.

He'd heard of friends that outgrew one another or simply fell apart, but he hadn't ever thought that would be the three of them. They'd been through so much shit together, he thought they were closer than the closest of friends. Harry wished he still had hope for the three of them, but he'd given up on hope a long time ago.

The signs were all there, he supposed. With Ron and Hermione's countless bickering, and Harry's reluctance to trust anyone, something that had always bothered Hermione. The thing was, Ron and Hermione still seemed as close as they were before, if not closer. The thought made Harry frown, and he wondered if he'd done anything wrong. Or maybe this whole thing was all in his head, he did tend to overthink things. Shaking away his thoughts, he turned his attention back to the lesson.

When Harry was on his way to lunch later, he saw Luna skipping down a corridor, and he smiled at her carefree spirit. So what if she was a bit odd, she was herself. She didn't try to please everyone else by pretending to be something she wasn't, she drew her personality straight from her core. Harry wished he were more like Luna.

Without thinking, he called out her name, and the girl turned around with a bright smile on her face.

"Hello, Harry. Did you need something?" Her voice was dreamy, a truly pleasant sound. She had turnips hanging below her ears, and her wavy hair framed her face. She had a necklace made of old bottle caps and a magazine in her hand.

"Nothing in particular. Walk to lunch with me?"

"Oh I'd love to, really, but I'm chasing down the wrackspurts right now." Harry didn't even try to hide his confusion, and Luna gave a small laugh at the expression on his face.

"Wrackspurts?"

"They're creatures that make your head fuzzy. Your head is almost always full of them, did you know?" 

"No, I didn't. Is there a way to get rid of them?" She giggled, and shook her head slightly, while a rare smile graced Harry's face.

"Of course there is, silly." And then she walked away, leaving Harry standing alone in the hallway, confused and yet more calm than he ever remembered being in his entire life. She really was something, she was.

Letting himself smile just a little longer, Harry continued on his way to the Great Hall, with a feeling that was so close to happiness, he desperately wanted to believe it was. So close, and yet he felt miles away from happiness.

The lingering smile disappeared.


	3. To the Library

Harry was mentally exhausted by the time he left Defense Against the Dark Arts. He was sure he hated Umbridge almost as much as he did Voldemort, who _murdered his parents_. And the pink, Merlin, Harry hated pink.

"Hello, Harry." The Gryffindor smiled, turning around to face his newfound friend. 

"Luna, it's great to see you again," he grinned.

"Is it? That's lovely to hear, almost as if it's coming from a friend."

"We are friends." At least, Harry had thought they were.

"Oh, that's nice. I don't have many of those." Harry frowned.

"I'm sorry." The blonde giggled at his response, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth. 

"There's no need to apologize for, it's quite alright. Not everyone can like me, I know that. And, like my mum used to always say, it needn't matter how many friends you have, but rather how genuine they are." 

"Quality over quantity, makes sense." Luna hummed in response and began to skip down the halls, her hair bouncing up and down as she did. Harry watched her go, listening to the click her shoes made as they hit the floor, and her fading hum. About halfway down the corridor, she stopped moving and turned back around.

"Well, aren't you coming?" Without hesitation, Harry jogged up to the Ravenclaw, and she resumed her skipping, Harry trailing after her at a faster pace than usual, trying to keep up with the lighthearted fourth year. They talked and laughed along the way, but Harry's smile dropped when they ran into a certain greasy-haired teacher.

"Potter, must you always be such a nuisance? The halls are for walking through, not obnoxious laughter and yelling." Snape sneered at the spawn of James, who was resisting the urge to roll his eyes. He didn't want to lose any more house points than the ones Snape would unquestionably be taking any second now.

"I wasn't yelling, sir. I was simply talking and spending time with Luna." It was only then that Snape noticed the unusual girl standing just a ways from Potter, smiling up at the man. He'd never seen the two together before, and he can't say he wasn't surprised. He'd have thought the boy would think he was above the girl; it was a typical James thing to do. After all, Harry was just like his father, not an ounce of Lily in him.

"Well then, find another place to be so disruptive, perhaps not in the middle of a corridor." And with a dramatic swish of his cloak, Snape turned around and left.

"Bloody annoying, he is," Harry muttered once he was sure the git was gone. 

"Yes, I suppose we're all annoying at times. I do feel sorry for him though." For the first time since he'd met the girl, Harry saw Luna frown. Well, not frown, exactly. More like...not smile. 

"Sorry about what? What happened to him?" Harry asked, genuinely curious as to what his Potions professor could have possibly gone through. Luna stared at him for a few seconds, a more definite frown appearing.

"Something no one should have to go through." She looked directly into Harry's eyes when saying this, her voice firm and assertive. It was almost like she was reassuring him about something, and he would have thought as much if they hadn't been speaking about Snape. Harry squirmed uncomfortably under her gaze, breaking their eye contact.

"Well, to the library then? I have an essay due in a few days that I haven't finished yet, and I'd rather not do it last minute." Harry blinked a few times at the sudden shift in her mood, before shrugging.

"I'm free until dinner, and I suppose getting some homework done would be nice."

"Great. Shall we go, then?" Harry nodded, and Luna extended her hand for him to take. He did, and she swung their joined hands as they walked to the library, humming an unfamiliar tune. People pointed and whispered as they walked through the halls, and Harry tried to ignore it best he could. Eventually, the extra attention got to be too much for him, and he released his hand from Luna's. She looked over and gave him a sad smile, and he let out a breath of relief when he knew she wasn't upset. There were no hard feelings, and she knew it was nothing personal. 

It was nice, having a friend, a real friend. Some people were nice and engaged in conversation with the Ravenclaw girl, but after a few minutes, it was evident they'd rather be somewhere else. She was a bit too much for most people and had earned the nickname 'Loony Lovegood' after her first week at Hogwarts in her first year, though she didn't mind it. Luna knew she wasn't loony, and what other people thought of her didn't matter. 

It was the people who weren't so nice that made Luna sad. She felt bad for them, for surely there was a reason they acted the way they did. So when they stole her things or teased her, Luna only smiled at them. Of course, what they did still wasn't okay, but she could hardly care. She had a friend now, just like her mother once said she would, a true friend.

When the two students had reached the library, they walked in, Luna insisting on saying hello to Madame Pince. Harry smiled, something he seemed to have done a lot more of in the half-hour or so he'd been talking to Luna. She was like a breath of fresh air in his life, something he seemed to value a lot less than he used to.

Madame Pince returned the hello, and Luna smiled, turning around and walking towards a shelf, scanning the spines before pulling out something on Goblin Wars.

"Oh, it's a History of Magic essay, is it? That class is dreadful." Luna placed the book delicately on the nearest table, taking a seat and opening her bag, retrieving some parchment and a quill. She set the bag on the ground, and Harry took the seat across from her.

"I quite like the class actually, it's interesting if you pay enough attention. Although, Professor Binns's voice does tend to make me quite sleepy sometimes." Harry was shocked, to say the least. No one he'd ever met, not even Hermione, enjoyed History of Magic.

"You really are something, Luna," Harry said, tilting his chair backward so that only two legs were on the floor.

"Mr. Potter, I insist you quit that nonsense this instant. You could lean too far back and crack your head open, and I will not have blood splattered all over my books!" Madame Pince stated, coming up to him. 

He quickly fixed his chair and got out his Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook, as well as a fresh sheet of parchment. He pulled out his quill and examined the nub that was already looking sketchy. He hadn't bothered to buy a new one for the year, seeing as he already had a few unused ones in his trunk. Deeming it alright, for the time being, Harry inserted the dull tip of his quill into the ink well and started on his homework.

"Oh my, would you look at the time? We're going to be late for dinner if we don't leave soon," Luna said a few hours later, looking at Harry, who was now working on Potions work. Harry groaned, setting down his quill and closing his eyes.

"Give me a minute, that was exhausting." Harry sighed, before letting out a yawn, his eyelids growing heavy.

Luna laughed quietly and began to put away her things, returning the books to their rightful places. When she returned Harry was putting a paper that was now marked with Harry's messy scrawl into his bag. He stood up, stretching, before grabbing both his and Luna's bags from the ground and handing it to her.

"Thank you. To dinner then?"

"I suppose." They began their walk to the Great Hall, which didn't take long since it was on the same floor as the library. With a final goodbye, both parted ways to their own tables, whispers erupting in the Great Hall as they became noticed.

If Hogwarts didn't think Harry had gone mad before, they sure did now.


	4. Rumors

Harry could hear the murmurs as he shuffled over to the Gryffindor table. Though he didn't know for sure what they were saying, he knew it was about him, and he knew it couldn't be a good thing. It never was.

Ron and Hermione were having a hushed conversation of their own when Harry walked up to them, stopping when they noticed him, making Harry suspicious and uncomfortable.

Regardless, Harry took a seat and got himself a small portion of Shepard's Pie, trying to overlook the many staring at him to no avail. The attention he received always bothered him; why would now be any different?

Ron and Hermione were whispering furiously, until Hermione slapped his arm, shutting him up, and turned to him. Harry stopped chewing, looking at her expectantly, wondering why she was holding her tongue. Hermione always spoke her mind, so her behavior was unusual and mildly unsettling.

"Harry," Hermione started, hesitation evident in her voice. Harry swallowed his bite and waited for her to continue. "Harry, you know you can tell us anything, right?" Harry's heartbeat sped up, already not liking where this was headed.

"Yeah, why?"

"Well...there's been talk that you're dating...Loony Lovegood. I hate to pry, but-" 

"Then don't. And for future reference, her name's Luna, Hermione." And with that, Harry stood up, forgetting his dinner entirely, not that he'd been in the mood for food anyway. He left the Great Hall, furious and annoyed.

He knew it was unreasonable; Hermione had been asking a simple question, but he was so sick of the rumors. Word tended to spread quickly at Hogwarts, but how did they come up with Harry and Luna dating, when he'd barely known her a few days? He didn't understand why a boy and a girl couldn't be friends without it having to be romanticized.

Sighing, Harry leaned against a nearby wall, leaning his head back and shutting his eyes. Taking a few deep breaths, he felt his anger retreating, only mild annoyance remaining. Though the pain lingered, the pain he got every time he took a fucking breath.

He opened his eyes to the sound of footsteps nearing his proximity. Draco Malfoy was walking his way, nose buried in a textbook. 

The blond snapped his book shut abruptly, his head snapping upwards. His eyes set on Harry, widening, and then he turned around and walked back in the direction he came. Now Harry was sure of it, the git was avoiding him. Why?

Before Harry had any more time to contemplate this, Ginny Weasley walked up to him. The two weren't close, as she'd never really spoken to her before. At first, when he was younger, he'd assumed she was shy, but last year he'd walked into the common room one day to find her dancing and singing atop a table with a crowd of people surrounding her. Not really something the average shy person would do. 

"Hey Harry," she said as she passed him in the halls. What was going on today? It was like his world had turned upside down, and it was only the first day back. Well, second day, if you count the train ride and dinner, which he didn't.

Shaking his head, Harry stood up straight once more, and began the walk to the Gryffindor common room, fiddling with his bag full of books as he did. The journey was filled with silence, the once sound being his own footsteps and breathing. Harry hated silence. Silence gave him nothing to focus on, nothing to distract him. That was when his thoughts liked to pay a visit, the ones from the part of his mind that was undoubtedly fucked up.

Harry tugged on the collar of his shirt then undid the top button. It was much too tight, constantly choking Harry, reminding him of things he'd rather not be reminded of. He loosened his tie, finally feeling like he could breathe fully. It was torture, wearing that thing all day.

Finally, Harry reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, saying the password and stepping into the familiar red and yellow room. He'd always felt the colors were a bit bright for his taste, but it's not like they have this entire room redone just because he asked. Well, they probably would have, actually, since he was the boy who lived. Harry rolled his eyes and shut the portrait door.

He made his way up the familiar set of stairs and opened the door to his dormitory, only to find Dean and Seamus in a passionate make-out session. He rolled his eyes once again and slammed the door shut, making his presence known to the other two. The boys jumped, Dean biting down on Seamus's lip in surprise. Seamus groaned, pulling away and putting a thumb to his lip, then bringing it back down to check for blood. The gleaming red was a clear enough answer, and he looked up and scowled at Harry, who returned the expression.

"Shouldn't you be at dinner?" Dean asked, undeniably bothered that Harry had shown up.

"I could ask you two the same thing, but I suppose you were too busy moaning and snogging one another's faces off," Harry replied coldly, making both boys blush slightly.

"Harry, we aren't really-"

"Save it; I won't tell anyone. Just leave me alone, and we won't have any problems." Harry turned away and opened his trunk. He grabbed some pajamas and walked into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. 

Letting his glamour fall, Harry faced away from the mirror. He shrugged his robes off and let them drop to the ground before removing his tie and untucking his shirt from his trousers. He bent down to pick up an old shirt of Dudley's that he was sleeping in that was on the ground.

Harry let a small yelp of pain out, releasing the shirt and clutching his chest, which didn't help any. He whipped around so he was facing the mirror and studied his bruises that, for the most part, had faded to an ugly yellow. Unable to look at himself any longer, Harry bent down as quickly as he could and picked up the shirt, ignoring the pain in his chest. He threw the fabric on and finished changing, walking out of the bathroom and tossing the clothes into his trunk. 

Climbing into his bed, Harry adjusted his pillow, fluffing it up to make it more comfortable. He didn't care what time it was, he was going to sleep. Resting his head onto the pillow, Harry sighed in content, letting his eyes flutter shut. He kept the curtains open, as he always did. Closing them made him feel confined, taking him back to his cupboard. 

Already exhausted, Harry slipped into unconsciousness, being graced with a few hours of peace before the nightmares corrupted his sleep.


	5. The Sleeping Weaslette

"Mate, you gonna come down for breakfast?" Ron asked as he slipped on a pair of shoes, then standing up and facing his friend's bed.

"Not hungry," Harry replied, sitting up in his bed. He was hungry, but it wasn't like that was unusual. He was still a tad bit mad at Hermione and Ron, though he wasn't entirely sure why he was upset with the ginger.

"Don't you think Lovegood'll be worried; you barely had a bite yesterday night as well. Come to think of it, I haven't seen you eat much at all since we've gotten here," Ron said, though it seemed like the last bit was more to himself than Harry. 

"So you aren't worried then? What makes Luna different from you or Hermione?" Harry questioned, ignoring the second half of what he'd said.

"Nothing, I just figured since she's your girlfriend, I could make you worry about her worrying or something. It made sense in my head, alright?"

"That might have worked, except for one tiny detail...LUNA AND I AREN'T TOGETHER!" Ron stepped back, hands held up in surrender, while Harry glared daggers at him.

"Well, I just assumed-"

"Oh look, you've spotted the problem. Don't _assume_ anything, just ask me and I'll tell you!" Harry was well aware the other boys in the dorm had woken up by now, watching the scene play out, but he really didn't care. The more who knew Harry and the Ravenclaw weren't dating, the better.

"Hermione did ask, and you stormed off without giving an answer," Ron pointed out, and Harry resisted the urge to strangle him. His hotheaded temper was really getting the best of him, but in his defense, it was far too early to be dealing with this.

"She called her loony. I may not be dating Luna, but she's still my friend, and she's just as sane as me. Call her that, and you'll be calling me loony as well." Seamus snorted at that, and Harry turned to scowl at him. Of course, Harry hadn't forgotten that the boy really did think he was loony, but he didn't think the boy would be so stupid when Harry knew something he definitely didn't want getting out. Dean seemed to pick up on this and elbowed his...friend? What were those two anyway?

Despite what the two Gryffindors might think, Harry wouldn't out them. He wasn't evil, just angry.

"Maybe you are loony, going around making friends with that girl, not to mention that whole ordeal with the 'horses' a few nights ago. How would you know if you were crazy or not?" 

Harry was done. He stormed out, something he seemed to enjoy doing quite a lot, still in his pajamas. He saw Hermione reading a book in the common room, but ignored her when she called out his name and walked out the portrait door. He jumped when he saw something on the ground. Though he quickly realized it was a someone, with vibrant red hair and Gryffindor robes.

"Ginny? What're you doing out here?" Harry asked, giving the lump on the ground a small kick. The girl snapped up and pulled out her wand, pointing it directly at Harry. He flinched, taking a small step back.

"Oh, it's you," the girl said with a breath, lowering the wand, oblivious to Harry's uneasiness. After taking a few seconds to recover, Harry offered his hand, which she gratefully took, and he hoisted her up from the ground.

"What were you doing out here?"

"Forgot the password," she replied sleepily, stretching out her limbs and yawning. "What's with the pj's?" 

Harry looked down and realized he was, in fact, still in his pajamas. He'd never changed.

"Can I borrow your wand, Ginny? I left mine up in my dorm, and I'd rather not go up there again." Nodding, Ginny passed the wand over to him.

" _Accio_ robes, wand, and book bag!" Saying the password so the stuff wouldn't rip the portrait up, he watched as his things came flying towards him, and grabbed them all. Passing the wand back to Ginny, Harry gave a quick thanks before moving to go to a bathroom and change. He stopped when he noticed a tuft of blond hair behind a wall at the end of the corridor.

Narrowing his eyes, Harry walked towards the person slowly. As he got closer, he realized the figure was undeniably Malfoy.

"Malfoy, why are you hiding behind a wall?" Knowing he'd been spotted, the Slytherin revealed himself fully, head down and staring at the ground. He mumbled something Harry couldn't make out, and the raven-haired boy rolled his eyes.

"What, no snarky comeback? You're not going to pull out your wand and try to hex me? Punch me, maybe? Has Malfoy gone soft?" Harry smirked, watching as the ferret's head whipped up.

"I have not gone _soft_ , Potter. You're delusional."

"Maybe," Harry shrugged. "Everyone else seems to think so anyway. Now, this conversation is odd enough, so I'll be on my way now." He could feel Malfoy's eyes on him as he left towards the bathrooms.

Things at Hogwarts seemed to be changing. Fast; too fast. Umbridge, Malfoy, Ginny, Luna, Ron, Hermione, even he was, he supposed. Harry didn't like change. 

He was afraid of it.


	6. Pug-face Parkinson

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Here's the sexual assault I was talking about (near the end of the chapter), read at your own risk.

Harry took a few deep breaths, and walked into the Great Hall, immediately regretting his decision to eat there instead of in the kitchens. People stared, unheard words being said behind the hands they had over their mouths. There were no words to express how uncomfortable he was right then.

It seemed the only person not staring at him was Malfoy, which was odd, because Slytherins were known gossips. In fact, it seemed the blond was avoiding looking at him, though maybe that was the new normal. Maybe the two would just never speak again, avoiding each other in the halls and pretending the other didn't exist. Harry didn't want that. He wanted the normality of their rivalry, what they had been for the last four years.

Looking away from the Slytherin, he spotted Luna waving at him. Well, that's what he'd thought until he realized she was beckoning him over. Harry hesitated, contemplating the pros and cons of sitting at the Ravenclaw table. In the end, Harry made his way over to her, trying his best to ignore everyone else in the room.

Sitting down, Harry frowned when he noticed no one was seated in close proximity to his friend. Didn't she have any other friends? Surely Harry couldn't be the only one...right?

Do you think they're dating? Harry Potter's really gone bonkers, hasn't he? I heard Snape caught them shagging in the halls.

Harry stiffened. How did rumors get so out of hand? Shagging, honestly; the thought repulsed Harry. It had nothing to do with Luna, she was wonderful. Sex had never appealed to Harry, for many reasons. Shivering, Harry shifted awkwardly in his seat, well aware the entire school was watching him.

"Ignore them," Luna whispered, grabbing his hand loosely, sending a buzz throughout the Great Hall. Harry felt sick, the bile rising up in his throat.

"Are you alright, Harry? You look a bit pale."

"I'm fine," he responded, feeling a cold sweat rise. Luna didn't look very reassured, though she still smiled sweetly up at him. Harry felt lightheaded, like he was going to pass out at any moment. He took a shaky breath, and reached for a glass of water, his trembling hands causing the water to spill out, until he dropped the glass entirely, spilling water all over the table.

"Sorry, sorry! I'll just...sorry!" Harry frantically apologized before standing up and walking out as fast as he could in his condition.

He made his way to the nearest bathroom, before he broke down completely, his sobs racking his chest. He wasn't sure what caused the sudden sob session, anything and everything, most likely. He slid down the wall and curled into a ball, wetting his pants as he cried into them.

"Harry, oh my god, are you alright?" a voice asked, though the Gryffindor was too distracted to recognize who it was, if he even knew at all. He did flush though, embarrassed at being caught in such a vulnerable state.

"Hey, it's alright. Look at me, I'm right here." Harry didn't want to look up, he really didn't want to, but they practically forced his head up so that he had to look at them. Through his blurry eyes, he could make out a lot of orange, or...red hair?

"Ron?" he croaked, blinking some more tears out of his eyes.

"Close, but my voice is nowhere near as high as his. All those voice cracks, so bloody annoying."

"Ginny, hi," he sighed. Harry didn't really know whether to be relieved it was her or ashamed for being caught during his meltdown.

"Wait, Ginny? Oh Merlin, am I in the girl's bathroom?" Harry groaned, putting his head in his hands, his damp cheeks stinging slightly under the touch.

"Don't worry about it, it's fine. Now come on, let's freshen you up." She stretched out a hand and pulled Harry up once he reached up for it. Leading him towards the sink, she helped him rid his face of any trace that he'd been balling his eyes out minutes ago.

"Now, you can either tell me what that was all about, or we can forget it ever happened," the redhead said, as the two walked out of the bathroom. Harry was silent the entire way back to the Great Hall, where he'd left his bag. He gulped, not wanting to go back in.

"Can you...can you get my bag for me? It should be by where Luna was sitting."

"Of course, just wait out here a few minutes." He nodded, and leaned against the wall next to the door, closing his eyes and groaning softly, suddenly feeling tired. He hadn't got much sleep last night, or any night for that matter. If it wasn't nightmares, it was strange dreams he couldn't explain.

"My my, what do we have here? Is little Potter afraid to go in and face all of the scary people?" Harry's eyes shot open, and he stared at the group in front of him.

"Shut up, Parkinson," he growled, glaring at the girl in front of him. She cackled, along with Crabbe and Goyle, while Zabini rolled his eyes at his friends. Harry's eyes drifted to the blond, who was avoiding eye contact, lips pressed in a thin line.

"That the best you got, or are you waiting for your girlfriend to come and save the day? Word on the street is, she's just as mad as you!" The Slytherin smirked, knowing exactly how to get a reaction out of him. 

"She's not my girlfriend," Harry said, clenching his fists.

"Isn't she? Come to think of it, you've never had a girlfriend, have you? I can't understand why with all the girls you've had chasing after you. Forgive me if this leads me to believe that our very own Harry Potter is...a faggot," she sneered, taking a step forward. Malfoy tensed, going unnoticed by the other Slytherins, and Harry's eyes darted towards him before looking back at the bitch that was now a few inches from his face.

"Are you gay, Potter?" Pansy asked, her horrid breath spreading over Harry's face. Harry felt as though he was going to suffocate, and just as he had decided to make a run for it the girl had placed both of her hands on either side of him.

"Hmm, not going to answer are you? That's fine, there are other ways..." 

Parkinson leaned forward as Harry leaned back as far as he could, praying anyone would come and stop this. Tremors went through his body, a painful lump rising in his throat that he tried, to no avail, to swallow.

And then her lips were on his, and though he refused to kiss back, she didn't stop, instead moving to his neck. Harry was frozen in fear; it felt like years, and he just wanted it to stop. He jumped when Pansy's hand moved to his crotch, right before she was pulled off of him.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"


	7. A Broken Ankle

Harry groaned, sitting up from his bed in the hospital wing. Looking around the room, he noticed it was considerably more full than usual. After Ginny had yanked Parkinson off of him, she'd started attacking, and then it had turned into an all-out brawl between everyone, though Harry and Ginny were unquestionably outnumbered.

Scanning the beds, he looked at each of their occupants, stopping at Pansy's for a moment to glare at her sleeping figure, and then moving on. Malfoy was nowhere to be found, and Harry half-considered checking in the beds surrounded by curtains, though somehow he knew the blond wouldn't be there. 

"Harry, oh my god, are you alright?" Ginny asked, springing up from the neighboring bed she'd been sitting on. Harry, finally seeming to notice he'd been injured as well, took a minute to examine the casualties before nodding slowly.

"Anything broken?"

"I don't know, Madame P wouldn't tell me anything. Apparently, without consent from the patient, I'm not allowed to know anything about your medical records or any present injuries unless I'm family." 

"But you are family."

"That's what I said! So MP was all like, 'Immediate family,' so I rolled my eyes and tried to explain that all of your family was dead and I was family enough, but she still wouldn't budge!"

"Thanks for...saving me," Harry said while trying not to relive the memory, unsuccessfully, he might add. A shudder went down his spine, and Ginny eyed him carefully.

"You're welcome, though any decent human being would. Oh, and you'll never guess what I saw the other day! Ron was snogging the living daylights out of Hermione, and I thought I was going to throw up. Poor Hermione, falling for an oaf like my brother," she ranted quickly, and Harry wondered why he'd ever thought she was quiet. Speaking of which...

"Hey Ginny, mind if I ask you something?" The redhead hummed in response, nodding her head for him to continue. "How come you never talked to me much before this year?"

"Oh, umm...I had a tad bit of a crush on you. But over the summer, whoosh, the feelings just washed away, so no need to worry about that anymore. Why do you ask?" she replied, blushing slightly from the embarrassment of it all. Who'd have thought Ginny Weasley could get embarrassed?

"Just curious," Harry replied with a shrug.

"So," Ginny said, flopping onto the bed she'd been sitting on when he'd woken up, "you like anyone?"

"Ugh, what is it with girls and asking that? It's always the first thing they want to know," Harry muttered, rolling his eyes.

"So that's a yes then?"

"It most definitely is not! And what about you, then? Now that you've moved on from me, who are you so helplessly infatuated with?"

"Well, seeing as I am the Queen of Bisexual, I'm going to have to say Luna," she replied with a wave of her hand, as though it were a regular thing to be discussing. Harry wondered how she'd come out so effortlessly to him, seemingly thinking nothing of it.

"How many people have you told? That you're bi, I mean."

"Including you, one. How'd I do?" She said, letting out a breath of air.

"I wouldn't know."

"Guess you're right. Wanna get out of here before Poppy comes back and makes you stay ages longer?"

"Merlin no, I'm in here enough as it is," Harry muttered, sitting up in the bed and getting out. He winced at the sharp pain that shot up his leg, and his eyes shot down to his ankle.

"You alright, Harry?"

"Fine, let's go." If Ginny noticed the strain in Harry's voice when he said that, she didn't say anything about it.

They walked towards the doors, each with a limp, though Harry's was considerably greater. Just as Ginny was reaching for the handle, the door opened, and she jumped back in shock. Standing in the doorway, with her hands on her hips and her lips pursed, was Madame Pomfrey.

"What are you two doing? Get back in your beds now! Mr. Potter, I'd have thought you'd be smarter than this, walking on a broken ankle," the nurse seethed, causing the two to cower slightly.

The two Gryffindors made their way back to their beds, while Madame Pomfrey continued to scold Harry for walking on his ankle.

"You didn't tell me your ankle hurt, Harry. You said you were fine," Ginny sighed as she got back in her bed, Harry doing the same. He looked over and saw a look of genuine hurt on the girl's face, making him feel a twinge of guilt.

"I-"

"I thought we were becoming friends."

"We were, we are," Harry pleaded, trying to reason with the redhead.

"Friends don't lie to each other." But didn't they? Ron and Hermione lied to Harry all the time and vise versa. And it wasn't like it was anything important, just a small fib. 

"Sorry..." Just as Ginny was opening her mouth to say something, Madame Pomfrey came up to Harry and closed the curtain behind her.

"Mr. Potter, you cannot leave this bed until I say so, you hear me? You have far greater injuries than the rest, somehow, and you will leave when I see fit!"

"Yes, MP," Harry sighed sadly, looking at his lap. His eyes widened when he realized what he'd said. "I meant Madame Pomfrey!" He could hear the muffled laughs coming from Ginny, and he rolled his eyes.

Madame Pomfrey left after checking over his injuries, deeming him fit to leave in the next few days. Great, just what he needed. He always struggled more with homework when he had to learn everything himself instead of in class, not that he paid much attention most of the time.

Ginny had been cleared to leave, but she stopped by his bed before she left.

"Listen, Harry, I know I got kinda out of hand before, and I swear I'm not usually so dramatic. I just hate when people lie to me, so could you please...not?"

"Alright." Ginny turned to leave, but Harry stopped her. "Hey, Gin? Keep Luna company for me, will you?" he asked, smiling. The ginger rolled her eyes at his not-so-subtle attempts to get the two to spend some time together but smiled nonetheless.

Harry laid his head back onto his pillow, his eyes fluttering shut. He figured he'd get some sleep since there wasn't much else he could do.


	8. Tears of the Enemy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year, guys! Let's hope this one's better than the last!

"A MONTH OF DETENTION!!! NO WAY IN HELL AM I DOING THAT!!!"

Harry snapped awake at the screaming, nearly falling out of his bed in alarm. His eyes darted around for the source of the noise, landing on two individuals in the far corner of the hospital wing.

"Would you rather be expelled, Miss Parkinson?" Professor Snape spat, glaring at the furious girl who had a nasty scowl plastered onto her face. Harry raised an eyebrow at the scene, finding it quite odd that Snape would be threatening to expel one of his _precious_ Slytherins.

"But everyone else only got two weeks, except for the fucking Gryffindorks, who only got one week," she snapped hotly, her ugly face red and scrunched up.

"Language, Miss Parkinson. I'll see you later today for our first session, and if you're even a minute late, there will be consequences. We've already lost enough house points because of your blatant stupidity." The greasy-haired professor spun around in the most dramatic way Harry had ever seen, exiting the room with a distasteful superiority.

Harry slumped back into bed, closing his eyes and listening to the grumbling of Parkinson on the other side of the room. When the doors to the wing opened, Harry didn't even bother seeing who it was, his eyes much too tired and relaxed to open. That is, until he recognized the voice that spoke less than a moment later.

"How's your eye?" Draco asked the girl, who was still having a bratty fit about before. Harry hadn't even noticed Pansy's black eye until now, and he wanted to congratulate whoever had made it such lovely shades of purple and blue.

"No better than the last time you asked," the girl replied, glaring at him.

"Well there's no need to be angry."

"Isn't there? While you were standing around, I was getting beaten to a bloody pulp! What happened to you, Draco; you're different this year! You don't pick fights with Potter, you don't even speak to him, and I'm starting to think you're actually avoiding him!"

"For your information, Pansy, I'm no different this year than you are. I simply grew up, and it's time you did the same."

"Whatever. You're a loser, did you know that? A worthless, pathetic piece of shit, who can't even make a single friend on his own." Then she walked away, purposefully running into him like the dramatic bitch she was, sending the blond stumbling a few feet. There was no Madame Pomfrey there to keep Pansy in this prison, so she left the room, and Harry suddenly wished he were her, though the thought was gone as soon as it had come.

Draco turned around but froze when he saw Harry staring at him. It would be hard to miss the shine in his eyes, the single tear escaping down his cheek. Had this been a year ago, Harry might have mocked him for crying, holding it above him for years. At some point, he had lost the urge, and now he could only think of why he would ever do something so inhumane. Jeering someone for crying, rival or not, was sick; utterly disgusting to even think about. 

The Gryffindor hadn't a clue what to say, so he kept his mouth shut, and the two only stared at each other. Draco must have realized that nothing was going to be said, for he walked out, wiping away the tears that had already half-dried, leaving his cheeks sticky and splotchy. 

Harry sat in the cardboard-like bed, wondering if the other patients heard, or even cared about, what had happened. Then he realized he was alone.

* * *

Stepping outside of the hospital wing after four days of being cooped up in there was like a breath of fresh air. He was terribly behind on schoolwork, even if he'd gotten a fair amount done while bedridden. Turning a corner, Harry saw Luna and Ginny at the far end of the corridor, and he couldn't help but sigh. It was painfully obvious they fancied one another, to Harry at least. Yet again, Harry had to deal with this, though Ginny had said she'd seen Ron and Hermione snogging, so maybe that ship had finally sailed. Why hadn't the two told him?

Shaking his head slightly, he began strolling over towards the fourth years but stopped abruptly. What if they didn't want him interrupting? They probably didn't; he should just leave. He had just turned around when he heard someone call out his name. Panic shot through him as he faced the direction of the voice, though he tried to shove it down.

"Hello, Harry. How was the hospital?" Luna inquired, tilting her head just a bit to the right.

"Dreadful. What have you been up to?"

"Oh, I was just spending some time with Ginny. She's quite nice, did you know?" Harry chuckled softly, smirking when he saw Ginny's flushed face. 

"She is, isn't she? Well, I best be off; schoolwork won't finish itself."

"That's very true, though I quite like the work we get. Oh, and before I forget, would you like to accompany me to the library tomorrow after classes? Ginny, you're, of course, welcome to come too."

"'Course Luna, see you then," Harry said before he walked off towards Gryffindor tower. He was about halfway there when he paused, hearing shuffling around in the nearby broom closet. Tentatively, he walked towards it, gripping the handle cautiously before he swung the door open.


End file.
